"We urge that our democracy, which at times is under severe strain, continues to benefit from the active support of bodies such as the Carter Center", the party said yesterday in a news release welcoming the body's final report on the March 19, 2001 elections here.

The centre, headed by former United States President, Mr. Jimmy Carter, was among international observer missions here for the elections and last week issued its final report on the polls.

The PPP, the major partner in the governing PPP/Civic (PPP/C) alliance, said the report is the latest of all the international and local observer missions to have once again confirmed that the elections were free and fair, and represented the democratic will of the Guyanese people.

"The Carter Center delegation concluded that the electoral process met minimum international standards and that the Guyanese people were able to express their will freely on elections day", the report said.

A preliminary review of the report shows that it is "comprehensive, accurately reflects events and issues relating to the conduct of those elections, and makes general, but pertinent pronouncements on the country's political development", the PPP said.

It said that given the importance of the role of the media in a democracy and the many media infractions that took place prior, during and after the elections, the report quite accurately observes: "One of the most disturbing phenomena observed during the electoral process was the media's lack of professionalism and impartiality. Campaigning and diffusion of propaganda, especially on TV talk shows, continued through elections day. One talk show host's `reporting' bordered on incitement to violence...Although there were no censorship issues or restriction on the freedom of the press, the media played a significant role in fueling tensions throughout the electoral process."

On the functioning of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), the PPP said it had cause to, on numerous occasions, highlight certain deficiencies.

The party said it is pleased to see that the observer missions also detected these, adding that as noted by the Carter Center report: "GECOM suffered from several managerial and administrative problems that adversely affected the electoral process."

"It is expected that these will be noted by GECOM and corrected over time", the PPP said.

It said the various suggestions relating to the conduct of the elections in Guyana and on other socio-political issues are to be carefully studied and those with sufficient merit will receive support.

On the dialogue process, the PPP said it notes and supports the view expressed by Carter: "One of the most important (positive changes since the elections) has been the ongoing dialogue between President (Bharrat) Jagdeo and former President and PNC opposition leader Desmond Hoyte on a wide range of critical issues. This dialogue can bear fruit in the form of a sustained commitment by all parties to work together to solve Guyana's problems, including steps to ensure more inclusive governance and to provide the foundation for sustainable development with the full participation of all sectors of Guyanese society."

This observation is instructive, especially since the Opposition without justification has put the dialogue process on "pause", the PPP argued.

"The PPP and all Guyana continue to welcome the interest and work of the Carter Center in promoting democracy and development of the country", the release said.

It also noted that the Carter Center plans to support Guyana's democratic consolidation and sustainable development through an integrated programme of initiatives drawing on the centre's expertise in democracy, conflict resolution, economic development, and transparency.